With the number of deaths by suicide in Taipei increasing by more than 10 percent last year, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday said that the city should establish a social safety net and find ways to refer those in need to talk with trained counselors.
The Taipei Department of Health said that 349 Taipei residents died by suicide last year, an increase of 10.6 percent from a year earlier.
To raise public awareness of mental health issues and suicide prevention, the department announced that it would be holding a series of events from yesterday to Oct. 31 to mark World Suicide Prevention Day on Sept. 10.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
The majority of deaths by suicide in Taipei last year involved people aged 45 to 64, or 38.1 percent, followed by people aged 65 or older, or 28.9 percent, Mental Health Division head Tseng Guang-pei (曾光佩) said.
While the causes of suicidal behavior are complicated — more than 40 percent of suicides stem from multiple causes — relationship problems often affect young people, parental and workplace issues affect middle-aged people, and health and mental problems affect elderly people, she said.
However, interpersonal relationships affect people of all ages, so if people suspect that someone intends self-harm, they should give them support and advise them to get help from a professional counselor, she added.
A survey conducted last year by the Taiwan Suicide Prevention Center of people aged 15 or older showed that only 24.8 percent would ask for help when having suicidal thoughts, and among those who would ask for help, 57.25 percent said they would talk with “family or friends” and 22.17 percent said they would seek help from a hospital psychiatric department.
Studies have shown that death by suicide among people with suicidal intent drops by about 63.5 percent if they receive specialized consultation services, and that about 60 percent of those with suicidal intent left messages revealing their conflicted emotions before attempting suicide, said Chang Shu-sen (張書森), an assistant professor at National Taiwan University’s College of Public Health.
Attending the news conference yesterday, Ko said that many people aged 45 to 64 experience the pressures of raising children and caring for elderly parents, so the government must enhance childcare and care for elderly people to relieve the stress of family caregivers.
The city government also needs to set up a better social safety net for those with suicidal intent so that they have a support network and people can take care of each other, Ko said, adding that better ways of referring at-risk people to professional help must be found.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
NOT AN OPENING: Trump’s violation of international law does not affect China’s consideration in attacking Taiwan; Beijing lacks capability, not precedent, an official said Taiwanese officials see the US’ capture of the president of Venezuela as a powerful deterrent to Beijing’s aggression and a timely reminder of the US’ ability to defeat militaries equipped with Chinese-made weapons. The strikes that toppled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signaled to authoritarian leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), US President Donald Trump’s willingness to use military might for international affairs core to US interests, one senior official in Taipei’s security circle said. That reassured Taiwan, the person said. Taipei has also dismissed the idea that Trump’s apparent violation of international law could embolden Beijing, said the official, who was not
RSS